Pipe-bending machine



No. 749,029. PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904.

H. P. OONDON.

PIPE BENDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED snn'. 6, 1901.

no MODEL. r 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTE-D JAN. 5, 1904.

H. F. OONDON.

' PIPE BENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1901.

H0 MODEL. I

2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

PATENT Patented January 5, 1904.

Orrlcs.

HENRY F. OONDON, OF DEKAL'B, ILLINOIS.

PIPE-BENDI'NG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 749,029, dated January 5, 1904.

Application filed September 6,1901. Serial No. 74,513- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I,HENRY F. O0NDON,a.citizen of the United States, residing at Dekalb, in the county of Dekalb and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe-Bending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pipe-bending machines, and has for its object to provide a simple mechanism whereby.

metal pipe may be rapidly, accurately, and cheaply bent or formed into curved shapes without heating the pipe and without subjecting the latter to undue torture or overstraining of the metal, the machine being of the same general character "as that set forth in a prior application filed by me November 5, 1900, Serial No. 35,492.

More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a construction in which the bending-die is made inseparable and in which the two members are positively operated in both directionsviz., in their closing and separating movements-and in.

wheel and yoke-support, whereby the die is opened and closed, removed, the shaft of'said wheel being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the machine with parts-in axial section. Fig. 4 is an axial sectional view taken through the die members on line 4 4 of Fig.2, the operating-gears being, however, shown at the side elevation; and Fig 5 is a similar sectional view taken on line 5 5 of said Fig. 2. Fig. dis a fragmentary detail of the die members, showing more particularly the shape of the clamping-jaws 48 and 49, mounted thereon.

In the said drawings,1 designates as a whole a suitable supporting'frame on the top of which is mounted in horizontal position the bending-die, comprising the two main parts 2 and 3, made separable in a horizontal plane intermediate of the thickness of the die as a whole. Said die is in the form of a segment of a wheel, being shown in the present instance as approximately semicircular, and the two parts thereof are so constructed as to form when assembled a peripheral groove corresponding to that of the cross-section of the pipe to be bout, a section of the pipe being indicated at 5 as fitting between the flanges 6 and 7, which form the upper and lower walls of the groove 4, respectively. The die is oscillated upon a vertical axis to bend the pipe, being to this end positively driven in any suitable manner, and in the construction shown it is secured upon a vertical shaft 7, suitably mounted in the frame 1 and provided upon its lower part with a large bevel-gear 8, which meshes with a pinion 9 on a horizontal shaft 10, likewise journaled in the main framel. A

roller. 11 is mounted to bear upon the upper face of the bevel-gear 8 immediately above the point where the latter meshes with the pinion 9 to prevent separation of the gears.

under the strains of work. As a preferred means of driving the shaft 10 the latter is provided with a large spur-gear 12, which meshes with a pinion 13 on a counter-shaft- 14, journaled in the lower part of the main frame, said shaft being provided at its opposite end with a second spur-gear 15, with which meshes a pinion 16, mounted upon a short stub-shaft 17, likewise journaled in the main frame 1. On this latter shaft is loosely mounted a driving-pulley 18, and said shaft is provided with a clutch 19, whereby the driving moment of the pulley may be transmitted to the shaft or the pulley allowed to run idle at will. The clutch 19 is adapted to be shifted into and out of engagement by means of a hand-lever 20 in a usual manner. It will be seen that when the clutch 19 is thrown into engagement with the wheel 18 by reason of the train of gears described a slow movement of rotation will be imparted to the bending-die, which will at the same time be of very great power. In order to operate the die by hand when desired, the Wheel 12 is conveniently provided with a handle 21.

22 designates a grooved roller mounted on the frame in an adjustable bracket 47 adjacent to the bending-die and cooperating with the latter, said roller having its axis arranged vertically and being located in the same plane with the bending-die and its groove, like that of the bending-die, being constructed to conform to the shape of the pipe to be bent. The roller is capable of being so adjusted relatively to the die that the space between the two is just sufficient for the passage of the pipe. A second similar roller 23 is also provided, mounted upon the frame in the same plane, but to the rear and approximately on a line tangential to the point on the periphery of the die intersected by a radius passing through the advance roller 22.

Describing now those features constituting the present invention, the bending-die is, as hereinbefore stated, so constructed that the two members thereof are made movable toward and from each other positively in order to engage the pipe when it is placed within the die and release the same after the bending operation has been completed, and to these ends I construct and arrange the mechanism as follows: As hereinbefore stated, the members of the die are made separable in the plane of the die, a nd in order that they may be readily removed from the main shaft for the purpose of substitution or the like they are driven with said main shaft throughthe medium of a clutch mechanism now to be described. The gear 8 is keyed rigidly upon the main shaft 7 and is provided upon the upper end of the hub portion thereof with a series of clutchteeth 24, which interlock with the corresponding recessed lower end of a clutch-sleeve 25, fitting loosely upon the main shaft. The upper end of the clutch-sleeve 25 is likewise provided with clutch-teeth 26, which in turn interlock with corresponding recesses formed in the lower face of the hub portion 27 of the lower die member 3, thereby forming a positive driving connection between said main shaft and the lower die member. The lower die member is confined against upward movement by means of a collar 28, threaded upon the upper end of the main shaft and fitting within a recess 29 in the upper face of the lower die member, as best indicated in section, Figs. 4 and 5, the end of the main shaft desirably being constructed to rise within or through a suitable guide-aperture 30 within the upper die member. In order to drive the upper member positively with the lower member while permitting said members to be separated freely, one of the members (in the present instance the lower member) is provided with a plurality of vertical studs 31,spaced at suitable intervals apart and located more or less remote from the axis of the die, which studs engage corresponding recesses or apertures 32, formed in the upper die member, as indicated clearly in Figs. 2, 4, and 5.

In order to move the upper die member positively toward and from the lower die member, I provide a series of threaded clamping-screws 32, there being three such screws in the present instance arranged at equal intervals apart around the peripheral portion of the die, each clamping-screw comprising a threaded portion 33, engaging acorrespondingly-threaded aperture 34, formed in the latter die member, an unthreaded journal portion 35, which extends through the upper die member, and a gear-seat portion 36, upon which is rigidly seated a spur-gear 37, the lower face of the spur-gear forming a shoulder which holds the clamping-screw from endwise movement downwardly through the upper member of the die, while the shoulder 38, formed at the juncture, threaded with the threaded portion of the clamping-screw,similarly confines the clamping-screw against upward movement in the opposite direction. It will be obvious, therefore, that when said clamping-screws are rotated the die members will be positively separated ordrawn together, depending upon the direction in which said screws are rotated, and it is to be understood that the screws are all threaded in the same direction. In order to rotate said screws in unison and at the same rate from a single driving element, I provide a driving-gear 39, mounted upon the lower end of a spindle 40, which is journaled in ayoke 41,rigidly mounted upon the upper surface of the upper die member, the upper end of said spindle which projects through and above the yoke being provided with a hand-wheel'42, keyed thereon, and whereby it may be positively rotated. The gear 39 is arranged to intermesh with twointermediate gears 43 and 44, respectively journaled upon suitable studs 45 46, mounted upon the upper die member, and these gears in turn intermesh with and transmit motion to thegears 37 upon theseveralclamping-screws. It will be seen, therefore, that rotation of the hand-wheel 42 serves to drive the three clamping-screws uniformly and in the same direction, thereby positively approaching or separating the die members, depending upon the direction in which the hand-wheel is turned, and it may be noted in this connection that the leverage secured through the several clamping -screws and train of gears is such that the die members will be held in clamped engagement with the pipe during the bending operation without the provision of any special means of interlocking the clamping-screws or connected gears against movement in a direction to release or separate the die members.

Describing now the means whereby the end of the pipe is positively clamped or engaged by the bending-die, upon that side of the die which is in advance during the bending movement is mounted a pair of gripping or clamping jaws 48 and 49, respectively arranged in vertical alinement with each other, as indicated clearly in the drawings. Said jaws are shown herein as conveniently united rigidly with their respective die members by means of bolts 50, their outer ends being arranged to overhang the periphery of the die and curve to approach each other and grasp the pipe throughout a substantial part of its outer circumference, as best indicated in detail, Fig. 6. These, jaws are so mounted upon the die members that as the latter are caused to approach each other after the end of the pipe has been placed in position between the die and the bending guide-rollers they engage the pipe and clamp it securely to the die, and obviously upon the reverse or separating movement of the dies the jaws will be released with the die members.

The object of providing the clutch-sleeve section, whereby the lower die member is operatively driven from the main shaft while capable of being readily removed therefrom, is in order that dies of different sizes-i. e., dies adapted for pipe of different diameters-- may be readily substituted in the same machine, it being obvious that both die members may be readily removed from the shaft by simply lifting them therefrom and that a larger or smaller die member may be supported and driven upon the main shaft in exactly the right plane to cooperate with the bending rollers by simply substituting a shorter or longer clutch-sleeve section 25. In order that the bending-rollers 22 and 23 may be adjusted toward and from the bendingdies to accommodate different sizes of pipe, the bracket 47 is made bodily adjustable along suitable ways as a whole toward and from the bending-die, its position being adjusted and controlled by means of an adj usting-screw 51, threaded through a bearing 52 and having swivel engagement at its inner end with a slide-block, as indicated in the drawings.

The operation of bending is carried out substantially the same as in the case of the machine of the application hereinbefore referred to, the only substantial change in the operation being that due to the different mannner in which the die members are advanced toward each other and retracted.

This feature of positively moving the one die member relatively to the other in both directions is a feature of great importance, for the following reasons, among others, viz: In machines of this character the die members are necessarily very heavy massive castings, and in the case of separating these members by means of springs, as described in my previous application, the springs must be of great power in order to properly lift the upper member, and even then they frequently fail to work properly owing to the interfitting parts of the dies sticking together, it

1' being understood that the greater working stress to which the dies are necessarily submechanism which advances the dies to not I only grip the pipe with sufficient firmness, but also to overcome the combined strength of the springs. tively large pipe, for which a machine of this character is particularly adapted, the power required for this purpose is so great that it must either be applied slowly through the medium of a mechanism affording greater leverage or more than a single operator must unite in closing the dies. Either of these methods is obviously obj ectionablethe first because of the increased time required for closing the dies and thesecond because of the increased number of operators. These objectionable features are fully overcome by the present construction, since the power required to separate the dies is only that necessary to lift them through the medium of clamping-screws, while in the reverse operation of closing the dies the weight of the upper die is added to the strength of the operator, therefore enabling him to close the dies rapidly and with great power. Furthermore, the dies are'positively separated and at the same rate of movement at the three diderent points, so that delay incident to the dies sticking together is obviously avoided.

I claim as myv invention 1. In a pipe-bending machine, the combination of a bending-die having an open peripheral groove and divided or made separable in the plane of said groove, means for holding the said die members against rotation relatively. to each other and compound leverage mechanism for positively approaching and positively retracting said die members relatively to each other.

2. In a pipe-bending machine, the combination of a bending-die having a peripheral groove and divided or made separable in the plane of said groove, means for holding said members against rotation relatively to each other, and one or more clamping-screws having threaded engagement with one member and swiveling engagement with the other and means for rotating said clamping screw or screws in both directions whereby said die members are advanced or retracted positively.

3. In a pipe-bending machine, the combination of a bending-die having a peripheral groove and divided or made separable in the plane of said groove, means for holding said members against rotation comprising projections upon one member and corresponding recesses within the other within which said projections telescope, and means for positively In the case of handling relaapproaching and retracting said die members I tated manually with which said clampingrelatively to each other comprising a plurality of clam ping-screws each having threaded engagement with one die member and swiveling engagement with the other, a gear rigidly mounted upon each of said clamping-screws and a main operating-gear adapted to be roscrew gears are operatively connected, substantially as described.

HENRY F. CONDON. Witnesses:

ALBERT H. GRAVES, FREDERICK C. GOODWIN. 

